The Detroit Pistons have enjoyed fresh success following the Dec. 22 release of highly paid and ineffective forward Josh Smith. Detroit fell to 5-23 following a loss to the Brooklyn Nets the day before cutting ties with Smith and headed into Tuesday's game at the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on a five-game winning streak. Like the post-Rudy Gay Raptors of 2013-14, it appears that the Pistons have improved themselves by subtracting one of their most notable players.
The contest against the Spurs marked another milestone for the Pistons, if not their best performance over the full 48 minutes. Down 37-20 after a quarter, Detroit slowly battled back to take the lead in the third quarter. San Antonio withstood that rally and led 104-101 with just 10 seconds left in regulation but opted to send Caron Butler to the line to avoid a game-tying three-pointer. Butler hit both, but the Spurs' ensuing inbound pass went terribly wrong and gave the Pistons a chance to win. Take a look:


Officials put 0.1 seconds back on the clock, but Brandon Jennings' bank-shot winner effectively ended the game at 105-104. That shot helped save a rough shooting night (5-of-18 FG) for the point guard, but the Pistons hit 47.8 percent from the field as a team to defeat a tough opponent on the road. Detroit has now won six straight games, with the last five coming on the road.
At 11-23, the Pistons are still well away from a .500 record. But they're also very much in the playoff picture and sit just 3 1/2 games back of the Miami Heat for the East's final playoff spot. It is possible that they are simply riding a wave following the release of a player who has appeared to lose whatever qualities once made him a regular All-Star candidate, but the Pistons have enough to continue to play respectably through the end of the season. Stan Van Gundy remains one of the sport's best coaches, Andre Drummond (20 points and 17 boards) is on his way to becoming one of the league's best centers, and the lineup is balanced enough to score despite the absence of an obvious first option. This run of form could be closer to the Pistons' new normal than their record suggests.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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